1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle equipped with a rotary electrical machine and an internal combustion engine and a vehicle control method.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-234872 (JP 2010-234872 A) discloses a hybrid vehicle in which an internal combustion engine is started in a predetermined time after vehicle request power exceeds a start threshold value when the vehicle request power is greater than the start threshold value of the internal combustion engine.
The hybrid vehicle may travel in any one travel mode out of plural driving modes of a driving mode in which the vehicle continues to perform motor driving using only a drive motor without sustaining a state of charge (SOC) of a power storage device and a driving mode in which the vehicle travels using the internal combustion engine with the SOC of the power storage device sustained. In such a hybrid vehicle, in order to secure drive power regardless of the driving mode, the internal combustion engine may be started when the vehicle request power is greater than the start threshold value. Accordingly, for example, when the vehicle request power is temporarily greater than the start threshold value due to a driver's rough operation of an accelerator or the like, the driving mode for sustaining the motor driving is selected, but the internal combustion engine may be started against the intention of the driver.